Chapter 338: Double Technique

The true value of this lies in the four words: “obeying one’s command.” This is the difference between readily available goods and unique secret techniques.

A mirror image is merely a projection of one's combat consciousness, possessing only basic fighting instincts. A doppelganger, however, is different. He Lingchuan can use it to speak, to see, and even multitask by controlling it to perform other actions. Beyond tearing down roofs, it can thread needles and embroider. If time weren't an issue, it could even engage in vigorous activities.

Extended further, the doppelganger’s potential actions are limitless, the key lying in how he chooses to use it. This is a true external incarnation.

Naturally, Old Man Wang also recognized the potential of this divine ability, which is why he relentlessly stuffed money into the beast’s head, trying to fill it. Unfortunately, this task was far beyond his capabilities.

So, could He Lingchuan possibly satisfy the gold-devouring beast’s appetite? Old Man Wang’s highest record was feeding it seven hundred taels of silver along with two large Eastern pearls, but it was still not enough. He Lingchuan inventoried his own wealth and found it was less than a third of that amount, truly a far cry.

But even though this thing is called a gold-devouring beast, is it satisfied by just gold, silver, and treasures? What was the final result of Old Man Wang’s desperate efforts? Earthly treasures simply could not satisfy it. Even a gold-devouring beast has high standards for the quality of its food. And ultimate treasures are never judged by quantity.

He Lingchuan laid out all his belongings on the table, examining them one by one. The candy snail shells were only appealing to humans; the beast certainly wouldn’t eat those. In the dream, he didn't even possess a single mystic crystal, otherwise, he would have tried it. Then there were various weapons, a bit of gold and silver… By this reckoning, he hadn't accumulated much wealth in the dream at all!

The only item that could truly be called an ultimate treasure was probably the Drifting Life Blade. The moment he touched the hilt, the precious blade vibrated twice in anger, as if saying, "How dare you?"

He didn’t dare. Besides, if he threw the Drifting Life Blade out, he wouldn't know who would end up devouring whom. However, this doppelganger technique was extremely useful, perhaps a great aid in overcoming his current predicament. He Lingchuan looked around, his gaze suddenly falling on two inconspicuous small items: two cocoons. Strictly speaking, these were the brain cores of two Jin-du hatchlings. One could create a flesh-and-blood fortress lasting one or two hours; the other was already fractured, its function temporarily unknown.

The Jin-du Matron was a deity, so shouldn't its offspring at least bear the title of “divine child”? Then these two brain cores shouldn't be ordinary objects, or, in Old Man Wang's words, “not treasures of the mortal realm”? He remembered General Hong saying that these two items still contained a trace of divine power. So, why not try it?

He Lingchuan picked up the fractured Jin-du brain core; it had no other use anyway. He first prepared paper and brush, ground the ink, and then dropped the brain core into the wide-open beast mouth design on the scroll. Sure enough, the brain core instantly vanished, as if falling into a bottomless pit. Two breaths passed. Five breaths passed. There was no change, not even as much as throwing in a copper coin. Was it unable to digest it? He Lingchuan couldn't help but sigh, finally understanding Old Man Wang's unfulfilled longing. That damned gold-devouring beast, what a wretched swindler.

One failure was enough; he didn't want to waste another brain core. A gambler’s nature is to bet more when losing, hoping to win back their losses.

But just as He Lingchuan was about to put the scroll away, the beast-skin paper suddenly glowed red. Immediately afterward, the beast-head design, which usually had its mouth wide open, actually closed its mouth! The worn beast-skin paper suddenly restored itself at a visible speed; wormholes, damage, and stains disappeared, and the missing parts quickly filled in. The previously faded celestial script also reverted to clear, vibrant vermilion characters! In the time it takes for ten breaths, the beast-skin paper in front of He Lingchuan was as clean and complete as if it had just been written!

Evidently, the gold-devouring beast was very satisfied with his offering and was completely full. Truly, products of the divine are extraordinary. So, did eternal greed triumph over eternal time? He Lingchuan sighed with emotion and scribbled furiously. He needed to copy the secret method before the gold-devouring beast-skin fully digested the brain core. Fortunately, this time, the beast-skin seemed exceptionally sated, remaining in its complete state for as long as half an hour. This was enough time for He Lingchuan to finish copying and check it over several times.

Half an hour later, the gold-devouring beast-skin slowly reverted to its original state. It was once again a tattered piece of hide.

He Lingchuan picked up the incantation for the divine ability he had copied and examined it carefully several times, exhaling a long breath, filled with wild joy. Aside from the doppelganger being able to obey his commands, the incantation also mentioned a crucial detail: it could wear equipment.

Thinking about it, the possibilities seemed infinite. He immediately left the quiet room and, using his status as the shop's landlord, asked the plump shopkeeper for a super-low discount to prepare an outfit for the doppelganger. This included light armor made of demon python hide, swift boots, a set of throwing knives, and two fine iron twin blades! Yes, the doppelganger would know all the moves He Lingchuan knew. He particularly looked forward to the scene of his doppelganger and himself jointly hacking down enemies with their blades.

Although it was a dirt cheap price, anything even remotely related to magic artifacts was incredibly expensive, and with this one purchase, he spent nearly half of his assets. Alas, money and military merits were quickly depleted, slipping through his fingers. Still, the cunning shop owner felt he had been taken advantage of and tried hard to sell him a few bottles of pills and a set of talismans. He Lingchuan remembered that there were no medicine apes in Dream City to make medicine for him, and Aluo was terribly busy, so he took a few for emergencies. The shop owner managed to salvage a small win.

Next, he could finally go to the Pengcheng Bureau. With the doppelganger technique, he could save the military merits he had originally planned to use for the mirror image technique. He Lingchuan pondered for a long time and exchanged for another divine ability called "Stubborn as a Rock." This minor divine ability didn't cost many military merits, but it was very useful. Its special effect allowed the user to enter a rock-like state, where all qi channels would be sealed, breath would be cut off, heartbeat would cease, and even divine sense could be blocked. With the addition of a superficial disguise, when others' divine sense swept over, they would most likely assume it was ordinary wood or stone, not a human. Of course, the more profound his cultivation, the longer "Stubborn as a Rock" would last.

Afterward, He Lingchuan rushed back to his residence. For the next thirty to forty hours, he ignored everything happening outside, dedicating himself solely to studying the two newly acquired techniques. With his real self in danger, an extra bit of strength meant an extra layer of protection and an extra ray of hope for survival.

Finally, He Lingchuan summarized his results: as a beginner, his "Stubborn as a Rock" could last for nearly two quarters of an hour. As for the doppelganger technique, he could only summon one doppelganger for now. Its physique, strength, and speed were identical to his own. It could last for about twelve breaths and would disappear prematurely if it sustained a fatal injury. This doppelganger could move up to twelve *zhang* away from his main body, wear equipment, and act according to his will—if He Lingchuan himself was too busy, it would automatically attack enemies. It seemed quite intelligent.

However, it could only be summoned once every hour. Furthermore, given He Lingchuan's current cultivation, each summons drained most of his true essence. Therefore, he had to carefully calculate when to use this ability. Additionally, the doppelganger would continuously consume true essence during its duration, which would also be deducted from the main body. This meant that if He Lingchuan summoned the doppelganger, his true essence would first be halved, and then he would have to bear the true essence consumed by both himself and the doppelganger in combat. That was at least double the consumption. He Lingchuan calculated on his fingers for a long time; with one big new skill, his true essence was stretched thin. It seemed he would have to work hard to improve his cultivation and increase the quality and quantity of his true essence.

A Purple Water Fowl was foraging in the ruins of the Jianan clan when the rustling of grass behind it startled it, sending it fleeing back into the water weeds. He Lingchuan had retrieved two ten-pound fish from a cave spider’s web-trap and was about to return to grill them for dinner. Passing by the Jianan clan’s Moon God Temple, he couldn't help but stop.

Two consecutive dreams were related to the Jin-du hatchlings, to the plans of the gods, and most importantly, to his current reality. General Hong had hinted that Wen Daolun giving up on using the Great Square Pot had personally severed his son's only hope of survival. He Lingchuan could see at a glance that Wen Daolun's genuine affection for his son far surpassed that of his own nominal father. Yet Wen Daolun still did it.

Then, it was worth considering the inverse: what would have happened if Zhong Shengguang had agreed to Wen Daolun's request to use the Great Square Pot to save Wen Xing's life? The most direct consequence would be Wen Xing's survival and recovery from divine magic. He remembered General Hong saying, “Currently, only divine magic can counter divine magic,” or the use of a divine artifact. This should be a consensus among the heavenly gods; even Pitian knew it, so the deity who ambushed Wen Daolun should also have known. However, Zhong Shengguang had interrupted the mention of “divine artifact,” not wanting outsiders to know.

Considering that the context was the fifteenth year of Panlong City's calendar, which was the third year after Zhong Shengguang offered sacrifices to the gods, a thought dawned upon He Lingchuan: Was it possible that the existence of the Great Square Pot was a secret at that time? As someone who came later into the dream, it was natural for him to know that Panlong City possessed the Great Square Pot. However, perhaps the common people, the nations, and even the gods at that time were kept in the dark? Even Hu Min, Liu Tiao, and others didn't know about the Three-Corpse Worms, and enemy nations like Baling and Xianyou hadn't yet found an effective way to counter the gods controlled by the Three-Corpse Worms. Perhaps, only a few individuals like Zhong Shengguang and Wen Daolun held the secret of the Great Square Pot.

If Wen Xing had been cured, the Jin-du Matron would immediately know the fact that Panlong City possessed a divine artifact. Would this become a new source of disaster?

He Lingchuan walked into the Moon God Temple and looked up at the towering divine statue. How had Second Mistress Zhu described the Jianan clan earlier? That strong individuals emerged from here, that it had not only witnessed divine miracles but also protected treasures bestowed by the gods? Subsequently, the Jin-du Matron had dispatched the Devourers.

He Lingchuan now knew that for deities who could not personally descend to the mortal realm, Devourers were valuable strategic resources, and once deployed, there was no way to retrieve them. Why would such an expensive, one-time weapon be deployed against such a small clan? Despite its history of producing many strong individuals. This meant their intentions were far grander—the Devourers came for the treasure bestowed by the “Moon God.” If the gods also confirmed that Panlong City possessed a treasure, how would they deal with it then?